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Translators sworn before a German regional court.

A sworn translator is appointed and sworn in by a German regional court, and may certify a translation in their own name. Every translation we deliver is produced, signed and stamped by one.

What is a sworn translator?

A sworn translator — beeidigter or vereidigter Übersetzer in German, depending on the state — is appointed by a German regional court and sworn to translate faithfully and completely. The appointment is personal and granted for named language pairs: it belongs to that translator, for those languages, and cannot be lent to a colleague or an agency.

That appointment is what makes a beglaubigte Übersetzung — a certified translation — possible at all. The translator certifies the work in their own name, with their own stamp and signature. No notary is involved, and none is needed.

  • Sworn before a Landgericht or Oberlandesgericht
  • Appointed for specific language pairs, not for languages in general
  • Bound to accuracy, completeness and confidentiality
  • Listed in the register the German states maintain jointly
On every certification
  • Bestätigungsvermerk
    The certification note: that the translation is complete and accurate.
  • Stamp and signature
    The translator’s own, applied by hand to the paper original.
  • Name and court
    Who translated it, and which court swore them in.
  • Language pair
    The direction they are appointed for — and the one your document was translated into.

Why authorities ask for a certified translation

An official reading your document cannot read every language, and cannot take an unsigned translation on trust. The certification solves that: a named person, accountable to a court, has put their stamp on the claim that this German text says what the original says. If it does not, there is someone to hold to it.

That is why an authority will turn away a translation you did yourself, however good your German, and why it will turn away one from an agency that cannot name the sworn translator behind it.

Usually required for
  • Residence permits and visa applications (Ausländerbehörde)
  • Marriage and civil registration (Standesamt)
  • University admission and degree recognition
  • Converting a foreign driving licence (Umschreibung)
  • Employment, where a foreign qualification has to be read

What you receive

One certified original on paper, posted to you with Standard or Express — and a free scan by email as soon as it is ready, if you ask for one. Digital supplies the signed and stamped file only.

A certified original, posted

The full translation on paper, with the translator’s stamp and signature, sent to your delivery address. Standard certification takes 3–5 business days; the 24-hour Digital tier is a signed and stamped file to download instead, with nothing posted.

The translator named on it

Their name and the court that swore them in appear on the certification, so the entry can be checked against the courts’ own register.

A free scan, on request

Ask for one and a scan of the certified translation is emailed as soon as it is ready — useful when an office wants to see it before the post arrives.

Prepared for

German authorities, universities and courts, as well as embassies and consulates. The decision to accept a document always rests with the body receiving it; if it is refused because of an error on our part, we correct it free of charge.

AusländerbehördeStandesamtAnerkennungsstellenFührerscheinstellenUniversitiesCourtsEmbassies & consulates

Languages we certify

Each pair below is one a sworn translator on our roster is appointed for. If yours is not here, write to us before ordering rather than after.

  • Arabic
    certified into
    EnglishGerman
  • Chinese
    certified into
    EnglishGerman
  • English
    certified into
    German
  • French
    certified into
    EnglishGerman
  • German
    certified into
    English
  • Polish
    certified into
    EnglishGerman
  • Russian
    certified into
    EnglishGerman
  • Spanish
    certified into
    EnglishGerman
  • Turkish
    certified into
    EnglishGerman

Documents a sworn translator can certify

The documents authorities ask for most often. Each one is priced on its own page, and each is certified the same way.

Close-up of a UK photocard driving licence with the EU flag and the words Driving Licence.

Driver's Licence

Get your foreign driving licence translated and certified for German authorities — for licence…

From € 47.90
A nurse holds a hospital record with a newborn's footprint next to the baby's foot.

Birth Certificate

Certified birth certificate translations prepared for German Standesämter, embassies,…

From € 62.90
A pair of wedding rings in an open box beside a signed document.

Marriage Certificate

Certified marriage certificate translations for legal recognition in Germany. Prepared for…

From € 69.90
A hand pressing a rubber stamp onto a sheet of paper beside an ink pad.

Certificate

Certified translations of vocational, professional, language, and other official certificates —…

From € 54.90
A divorce document on a wooden desk with a wedding ring resting on it.

Divorce Certificate

Certified translations of divorce decrees, dissolution orders, and separation agreements —…

From € 54.90
Graduates in gowns holding rolled diplomas tied with red ribbons.

Diploma / Educational Degree

Certified translations of diplomas, Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD degrees — for university…

From € 59.90
Two students studying together at a table with laptops and papers.

College Transcript

Certified translations of academic transcripts and grade reports — preserving every course code,…

From € 69.90
Two people shaking hands in an office.

Employment Reference Letter

Certified translations of work references, employer testimonials, and Arbeitszeugnisse —…

From € 84.90

How it works

Four steps, from your scan to your certified original, posted or downloaded.

1

Upload your document

Drag in a photo or scan. PDFs, JPGs, PNGs all work.

2

Configure & pay

Choose your options and see the final price. No surprises.

3

Sworn translator at work

Matched to a specialist in your language pair and document type.

4

Receive your certified original

Signed and stamped by your translator, posted to you with Standard or Express (ask for a free scan by email too), or a file to download with Digital.

Common questions

Is a sworn translator the same as a certified translation?
They are two halves of the same thing. The translator is sworn; the translation they produce and sign is certified. In German the terms you will see are beeidigter or vereidigter Übersetzer for the person and beglaubigte Übersetzung for the document. When an authority asks for a certified translation, it is asking for one produced by a sworn translator — not for a notary's seal on an ordinary translation.
How can I check that a translator is really sworn?
The German states run a common register of sworn translators and interpreters, searchable by name, language and court. Every certification carries the translator's name and the court that swore them in, so the entry on your document can be checked against the register directly. We put both on every translation we deliver, which is what makes that check possible.
Can I translate the document myself and have it certified?
No, and this is the most common reason a translation is turned away. A sworn translator certifies work they produced themselves — the signature attests that this translator rendered this source document accurately. Certifying someone else's text would mean attesting to something they did not do, so no sworn translator will do it, and an authority that notices will reject the result.
Will a translation sworn in another country be accepted in Germany?
Often not. German authorities generally expect a translator sworn before a German regional court (Landgericht or Oberlandesgericht), and a translation certified abroad is accepted only at the receiving body's discretion. If the document is destined for a German office, the safe course is a German-sworn translator from the start. Ask the receiving authority first if you already hold a foreign certification and would rather not pay twice.
Do I also need an apostille?
Sometimes, and it is worth knowing the difference. An apostille authenticates the original document — or a signature on it — for use abroad; it says nothing about the translation. A certified translation is usually all a German authority wants. Where an apostille is needed, it is obtained from the authority that issued the original, before translation, and that step is yours to arrange with them.
What do I actually receive?
With Standard or Express, a certified original of your translation on paper: the full text, a Bestätigungsvermerk — the translator's certification note — their stamp, their signature, and the court they are sworn before. It is posted to your delivery address, and you can ask for a free scan by email as soon as it is ready. Standard certification takes 3–5 business days. On the 24-hour Digital tier you get the same signed and stamped translation as a file to download instead, and nothing is posted.

Need a sworn translator?

Upload your document, see the price before you pay, and have it certified by a translator sworn before a German regional court (Landgericht or Oberlandesgericht) — your certified original posted to you with Standard or Express, plus a free scan by email on request, or a signed and stamped file with Digital.

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